This porfolio was originally published for this application to Thailand Next Generation Music Program 2024
This application was originally for the call for artists in Thailand’s Next Generation Musician Program.
Lamtharn “Hanoi” Hantrakul
is an award-winning Generative AI Artist reimagining Thai classical music through AI and electronic music. Known by his stage name “Yaboi Hanoi” (ญาบอย ฮานอย), his electronic dance music is unique in its uncompromising use of Thai tunings made possible through technologies like AI-based sound synthesis. His goal is to empower and challenge modern Thai and ASEAN traditions through the fusion of arts and sciences.
Yaboi Hanoi is the winner of the 2022 AI Song Contest, an international music competition, where his song อสุระเทวะชุมนุม (Enter Demons and Gods) used AI to analyze and synthesize electrifying melodies tuned exactly to the Thai ปี่ใน “Phi Nai”. One of the 2022 Jury members Ajay Kapur, who also serves as the Director of Music Technology at CalArts in the USA, commented “The use of AI to create the melody and the intonation and effects of that electric oboe line [ปี่] is a combination I have not seen before”. In today’s music, Thai classical melodies are often altered to fit those of western tunings (e.g. tuning a ระนาด “Ranard” to fit C Major on the piano). Instead, Hanoi is pioneering the use of music AI to adapt to Thai tuning (e.g. train an AI to operate in original Thai Ranard tuning). By following melodic inflections and tunings only found in Thai instruments like the ปี่ Phi, Yaboi Hanoi is able to create modern electronic music that feel distinctly “Thai”.
Hanoi has written commissioned works combining Thai and AI music for artists including พินรี สัณฑ์พิทักษ์ (Pinaree Sanpitak. Bangkok Arts Bienalle 2022), designer ศรัณย์ เย็นปัญญา (Saran Yen Panya. Cartier Collection 2023) and most recently choreographer พิเชษฐ์ กลั่นชื่น (Pichet Klunchun. Taiwan International Festival for the Arts 2024). In each of these projects (linked below), Hanoi used AI to synthesize unique soundscapes rooted in the uniqe melodies, rhythms and ทาง “tahng” of Thai instruments.
Education Background
Hanoi was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand. He graduated Cum Laude from Yale University with degrees in Music Composition (B.A) and Applied Physics (B.S) with Distinction in the Major for both disciplines. He also holds an M.S in Music Technology from Georgia Tech. Outside of his musical career, Hanoi has spent 7 years in the tech industry focusing on Generative AI for Music. He has worked as an AI Research Scientist for well known tech companies including Google to develop Music AI systems. Many of the technologies he uses in his compositions are tools he co-invented, co-patented or co-published. Hanoi is also an accomplished jazz pianist and has performed in venues including Smalls Jazz Club in Bangkok. He composes and produces his music in BitWig and Ableton Live.
1st Place Aritficial Intelligence (AI) Song Contest 2022
Winning track was determined through international vote and professional jury.
“The use of AI to create the melody and the intonation and effects of that electric oboe line [ปี่] is a combination I have not seen before”. Ajay Kapur, 2022 Jury and Director of Music Technology at CalArts in the USA.
My submission อสุระเทวะชุมนุม (Enter Demons and Gods) celebrates the unique melodies from my home of Thailand by using modern AI to analyze and generate sounds which align with the tuning of original Thai music.
Competition Website
Song Submission
My first place win of the AI Song Contest 2022 was covered by media across the world. The interviews largely highly my unique approach to Thai culture using my unique background in both AI research and music composition.
Fast Company - AUG 16 2023 - USA
Where the Internet Lives - JUL 12 2023 - USA
Scientific American - MAR 4 2023 - USA
Nation TV จับจ้องมองจีน - DEC 17 2022- Thailand
Deutschlandfunk Kultur - AUG 9 2022 - Germany
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Past Performance Experience
I am a solo artist who often collaborates
with a variety of musicians based on the composition and venue.
with a variety of musicians based on the composition and venue.
April 5-6 2024, Museum of Siam, Bangkok, Thailand
A Bit of Thai Tunes was an Algorave and live coding event hosted at Museum Siam. For this event, I performed a live set of my original electronic Thai music written completely in Thai tuning systems. Many of the tracks are based on rhythms like the กราวนอก “Kraw Nok” and กราวใน “Kraw Nai”, which are fundamental to Thai classical โขน Khon dance theater.
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March 8-10 2024, Taipei, Taiwan
Cyber Subin is a new production by choreographer พิเชษฐ กลั่นชื่น Pichet Klunhun which premiered as part of the Taiwan International Arts Festival TIFA 2024. For this show, I composed original music featuring a wide array of melodies from the ปี่ใน Phi Nai. All the electronic music is written according to the tuning and tahng of the ปี่ใน Phi Nai using my signature approach of AI-based audio synthesis.
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February 2023, Bangkok, Thailand
The Thai Patriomony room was a multimedia installation by artist Saran Yen Panya for the Cartier Collection tour. For this installation, I composed an evolving piece of music where viewers trigger different melodies of ฆ้องวง “Khong Wong” as they walk through the space. These Khong Wong sounds were reimagined through AI-based sound synthesis and effects.
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I perform regularly as a jazz pianist with my trio across venues in Bangkok including Smalls Jazz Club. We usually play our own original tracks in the style of Modern Jazz.
Wonder of Thai Jewels
September 2022, Bangkok, Thailand
The Thai Ministry of Commerce hosted the 67th Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair at IMPACT Meung Thong Thai. For this performance, I was brought on by the Thai Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) as both Music Composer and Creative Director for the entire opening show. The performance features my own original music and collaborations with international artists like Dorsh for the track “IFFY” (the track in the linked video).
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